Michigan confirms NCAA probe of football team; AD vows cooperation
Michigan Director of Athletics Warde Manuel attends football practice at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. Michigan and TCU play in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 31 at State Farm Stadium.Neil Blake | MLive.com
Michigan received its Notice of Allegations from the NCAA on Thursday, confirming reports that its football program is under investigation by the governing body for collegiate athletics.
In a Friday afternoon statement, delivered via spokesman, athletic director Warde Manuel said his department received draft allegations from the NCAA "yesterday," which reportedly include four Level II violations and a separate, more serious, Level I violation against head coach Jim Harbaugh for his cooperation with investigators.
"We have cooperated and will continue to cooperate with this investigation," Manuel, the school's athletic director since 2016, said. "Out of respect for the NCAA's enforcement process, we will not offer further comments."
Harbaugh's football team is alleged to have violated rules against in-person recruiting in 2021, used an additional staffer as on-field coach and watched team workouts through a video stream.
Additionally, reports say, Harbaugh faces a potential multi-game suspension for not cooperating with NCAA investigators.
More: What a Level I violation could mean for Jim Harbaugh, Michigan
The NCAA does not comment on active or pending investigations, a spokeswoman told MLive this week, and it remains unclear when this probe began. It might be difficult to determine a timeline, too, with the NCAA still needing to wrap up its investigation, allow Michigan the opportunity to appeal, then come up with a resolution.
Nonetheless, it's created a headache for Michigan and Harbaugh, who has been in the news this week for having reported communication with the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers about their head-coaching vacancies. Harbaugh, 59, is a former NFL head coach himself and interviewed with the Minnesota Vikings one year ago, a decision he said was a desire of his after coming up short of winning a Super Bowl.
Harbaugh is is an impressive 74-25 in eight seasons at Michigan, where's he won back-to-back Big Ten championships and College Football Playoff berths. He issued a statement on Thursday, through a football team spokesman, acknowledging "the rumors and speculation over the past few days" to say he still expects to be head coach at Michigan in 2023.
"I have spoken with President Ono and Athletic Director Warde Manuel and appreciate their support of me and our program," Harbaugh continued. "Our mission as Wolverines continues, and we are preparing for the 2023 season with great passion and enthusiasm."
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